Trust in Putin Drops as Russian Economy Stagnates, Pollster Says

(Bloomberg) -- Trust in President Vladimir Putin has fallen to its lowest in two years as Russians continue to experience a lack of economic improvement, a survey by the Moscow-based Levada Center shows.

While he remains the most trusted public figure, Putin’s rating slipped to 35% among Russians from 39% in September and 59% in November 2017, the independent polling company reported Wednesday.

“The economy is the main thing,” along with “fatigue about militarism and the degradation of the social sphere, especially in health care,” Lev Gudkov, Levada’s director, said by phone.

While the Kremlin takes note of such polls, the results depend on the methodology used and other surveys show trust in Putin is increasing, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call Wednesday.

The poll of 1,600 people was conducted Jan. 23-29 and had a margin of error no greater than 3.4 percentage points.

Putin shuffled his government in January, appointing tax service head Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister to replace the long-serving Dmitry Medvedev, and urged ministers to focus on raising living standards with increased spending after years of economic stagnation. Medvedev has consistently topped the list of least-trusted politicians in Levada’s survey.

Around 3% of Russians trust Mishustin, according to Levada. “There are no big expectations from his government,” said Gudkov. “Chronic pessimism is dominating in Russia.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Stepan Kravchenko in Moscow at skravchenko@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Gregory L. White at gwhite64@bloomberg.net, Tony Halpin, Natasha Doff

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